Soundtrack to your studies - 1987

The oddest musical performance at Orientation was a “Peace Party” with Topp Twins on the ferry Toroa, which looped around the harbour while the duo played. Other larger events also took place off campus, with The Galaxy on Mt Eden Rd (now The Powerstation) hired for a run of gigs that culminated in a show by The Bats.

This was also the year that ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ by Crowded House topped the charts, though local radio mostly ignored it at first. In fact, it had already spent months on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US before it made an appearance on our Top 40, which reflects how little support commercial radio gave to local music at the time.

The biggest concert of the year was ZZ Top at Western Springs. Estimates of the crowd size put it at the same level of David Bowie’s concert in the 70s at over 80,000 attendees (in fact, Bowie also returned in 1987 but played to a more moderate crowd). The ZZ Top concert was also one of the loudest, with claims that it could be heard as far away as Devonport.

However the biggest album of the year was undoubtedly Joshua Tree by U2, which stayed on the charts for over two years.

What was on the turntable while you were on campus? Suggest songs to add to our 1980s playlist, and you could win $100 Flying Out voucher.